Ahead of the opening of the British Museum's showpiece Vikings exhibition on Thursday, Aidan McGurran took the ferry to Denmark for a Norseman-themed tour of Jutland

Sometimes the most memorable lines come from the least likely sources in the most unlikely places. So it was on a tour of the Viking ring fort of Fyrkat. My historical guide Peter was kitted out in full 10th century Dane gear, though there was more than a touch of Obi-Wan Kenobi about him.

In common with most of his compatriots his linguistic skills were excellent. When I complimented him on this, he replied without missing a beat: “We prefer to think of English as just another dialect of Danish.”

It seemed to sum up the country – intelligent, quirky with more than a hint of eccentricity.

Like the Vikings, the Danes have suffered if not from a bad press, then little attention at all, which is a shame because it is a fascinating country populated by smart and incredibly friendly people.

While I would not claim to have been an expert on their history and culture before this trip, I put that right during it. My wife Deborah’s knowledge previously amounted to a Sunday afternoon viewing of movie classic The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis.

Deborah was a convert by the end of our trip, coining another memorable line: “Leaving aside the rape and pillage stuff, they were all right these Vikings.”

And indeed they were. Although you sense a certain frustration on the part of the Danes that their contribution to European history and culture has been largely airbrushed out apart from “the rape and pillage stuff”.

Ken Gillham

Ancient: Lindholm Hoje Viking grave near Aalborg

Mind you, there are reminders and references to it all around us. You may well have used some sort of Bluetooth device at some stage. But I can now claim to have stood on a raised embankment looking over the historic ring fort of Fyrkat, which was built by King Harald Bluetooth in 980AD.

Fyrkat is at the end of Denmark’s prettiest fjord, regularly sailed by Vikings, which is why Harald built a fort there.

A Viking long house has been reconstructed and is inhabited by volunteers who have recreated a village showing what life was like just over a thousand years ago.

One of the team demonstrated a more than healthy interest in Viking weaponry and tactics. I nearly buckled under the weight of the padded jacket, helmet and shield as he put me through my wannabe warrior paces.

If Vikings were no slouches as sailors they were possibly even better when it came to battle – they were master tacticians with a reputation for terrifying ferocity.

Our guide was not impressed with my suggestion that perhaps Viking warriors got ready with a few bevvies.

He was rather more taken with the theory that pain served as a useful spur to battle and warriors may have inflicted minor injuries on themselves to psych themselves up.

Somewhat worryingly, he mentioned he had actually put his theory to the test during a Viking battle recreation and apparently it worked a treat.

The fort and village was just one of the stops on our driving tour of Jutland that began with the overnight DFDS Seaways ferry from Harwich.

With comfortable cabins, a fabulous cold buffet boasting all the types of fish the Danes are famous for, or a hot one which was just as good, the crossing soon passed and we arrived in Esbjerg, ready for a two-hour drive to the university town of Aalborg. The fourth biggest city in North Jutland, it is only the size of one of our large towns and has a pleasantly relaxed feel.

Ken Gillham

History: House at Fyrkat

The waterfront has had a major facelift in recent years and a huge new concert hall is under construction.

The Danes are renowned for design, and Jorn Utzon, the architect of the nearby Utzon Centre, was also responsible for the rather more famous Sydney Opera House.

We tucked into its restaurant’s speciality, smorrebrod – delicious open sandwiches – and I challenge anyone not to find one to suit their taste. I tried wild ox, which, not surprisingly, tastes remarkably like beef.

Suitably replete, it was time to set off on the Viking trail. A short drive across the fjord took us to the north of the town and Scandinavia’s largest Viking burial ground at Lindholm Hoje.

Covered for centuries by sand, the sight of 700 sets of burial stones covering the hillside is strangely moving.

So too is a macabre mummy, believed to be a human sacrifice, in the fascinating museum alongside. Scarcely in need of yet more refreshment we nevertheless headed for the museum cafe and there we met Jesper.

To say he was a fan of the Viking age would be an understatement. He presented us with his authentic Viking menu – cranberries in mead, spelt salad, home-made gravadlax, rye breads, wild boar, pulled pork.

The dishes were stunning and polished off with a 20-year-old mead. We finally had to take leave of our generous host for the hour-long drive to the delightful town of Mariager.

It’s one of Denmark’s smallest and most picturesque towns with cobbled streets and roses climbing up the walls of the half-timbered houses.

Dwarfing the quaint homes is a spectacular former convent – once home to the daughters of Danish aristocracy.

After yet another superb dinner in the former post sorting office, now a hotel, we retired to our extremely well appointed B&B, ready for a boat trip we’d lined up for the following morning.

Mariager lies on a fjord, which has a 30-mile cycle route around its perimeter. It took us a good hour on the boat to reach its end at Hobro.

Just time to stop at Jelling, a world heritage site because of its runic stone which is known as “Denmark’s birth certificate”.

It is written here that King Harald declared he had conquered not only Denmark but Norway to boot and he had converted the Danes to Christianity.

Ironically, the high point of Viking history also marked the beginning of the end – as the Norse influence gradually waned. Back on the road again, we navigated the cobbled back streets of Denmark’s most ancient town, Ribe, to get to reputedly its oldest hotel, the Dagmar, right opposite its ancient cathedral.

Here a wine festival was in full swing in the narrow streets of this charming old town. Like the British, the Danes are not averse to a drink – but eating and drinking out is not cheap.

Heavy metal: Aidan in Viking armour

Mind you, the Danes have an answer for this – if you dare to suggest the cost of living is a tad on the high side you are met with the stock response: “You should try going out in Norway!”

It was easy to wander around the historic centre on foot, taking in the sights, the shopping and the array of restaurants before we had to board the ferry home.

The North Sea lived up to its reputation on the way back, its swell a reminder of the incredible feats these extraordinary seafaring people undertook as they battled and traded their way around most of the known world – and some that wasn’t known at the time.

I certainly wouldn’t have fancied the trip in a longboat. But by now I had established that Vikings were made of rather sterner stuff.

Get there

DFDS Seaways sails from Harwich to Esbjerg up to 4 times a week from £94pp one way. dfds.co.uk 0871 574 8235. Rooms at the First Hotel Europa, Aalborg, start around £77pn B&B. firsthotels.com Rooms at the Den Gamle Smedje B&B, Mariager, start around £66 B&B. roserogbrosten.dk Rooms at the Hotel Dagmar, Ribe, start around £137pn B&B. hoteldagmar.dk/uk (Danish only).